A Gibson Girl

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Even though it’s past Labor Day, I still think it’s summer, because it still IS summer—Fall doesn’t start until later this month, dang it! So I am still clinging to the end of summer, because that’s the way I roll.  

—- 2 —-

Even so, I LOVE fall. I love all seasons, in their own way, although I get sick of winter the fastest. (As in, it can snow in December, and that’s it…then I’d like to be in the 40s until springtime when it can warm up more, thanks.) Other signs of “fall” are happening: activities at church are ramping up again, ballet class has started, as has BalletMet’s season (which opened in August this year). And fall/winter/spring audition dates for shows are popping up.

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My first fall audition is on Sunday, for To Kill a Mockingbird. This is the easiest of all auditions—cold reads—because you don’t have to prepare anything, at least not in a way that needs presented. I’ll re-read the book and probably watch the movie again, but I’m so familiar with both that it won’t be a cram session. This is a different sort of adaptation, in that Mrs. Dubose has a bigger role than in the movie, and Mayella is being played by an adult. 

So as far as parts, I’d like to read for Jean Louise (as an adult, she narrates the show), Mayella (because it would be a challenge!) and Maudie Atkinson. But I’ve almost never gotten to read for the part I thought I’d read for pre-show. I cannot fathom how directors’ minds work. So, really, anything is fair game. 

—- 4 —-

Continued thoughts on casting: There are, as far a I can tell, two schools of thought: “looks” casting, and “character” casting. Some directors want people to look a certain way, and if you don’t look that way, it doesn’t matter how good you are, you aren’t getting the part. (This doesn’t work, obviously, for parts like, for example, Helen Robinson, who MUST be a black woman.) Some directors are more open, and if you can channel the character to their satisfaction, it doesn’t matter what you look like, because that can be changed. For example, I played Miss Prism in The Importance of Being Earnest. I am not a 60+ woman. I was 28 or so when I played that part. The director, however, liked what I did in auditions. They wigged me, I did some makeup tricks, and voila, older woman. Obviously, I prefer directors who work this way. :) In House of Bernarda Alba , it wasn’t so drastic; Angustias was only 39, so nine years older than me. 

—- 5 —-

In preparation for the fall TV season, I’m catching up on Person of Interest. If you haven’t seen this show, I recommend you get it from Netflix or  whatever. Great, great drama with excellent acting. The fact that Jim Caviezel’s in it is just icing on the cake for me. :) 

—- 6 —-

I finally finished A Farewell to Arms last weekend, after dipping in and out of it all summer. The powerful, massive emotion of the ending makes up for just about all the digressions and war notes in the middle. He really had a knack for writing women characters. (And no, he did not take away “reason and accountability.”)

—- 7 —-

Book proposal, a big summer project, is still being worked on. It’s in its halfway finished stages, but that’s a big leap forward from the beginning of this summer.My objective is to have it finished by Halloween.

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

 I am: 

The Bookophile. More than reading, you just love books. Old ones, the way they smell, the crinkles and yellowing of the pages; new ones, the way they smell, too, the crispness, running your hands over a stack of them at the bookstore. You like books rescued from the street as much as signed first editions; you like drugstore paperbacks, you like hardcover new releases, you like it all. You just like books. To you, they are an object of beauty, and you would never, ever hurt them in any way. Suggested bookophile reads: Anything you can get your hands on. God, that’s gorgeous, isn’t it? 

Find out what you are here. 

I have 100 followers!

Wow thanks guys!

I am more excited than the triplets in front of a plate of biscuits. 

Some of the things we talk about here: 

• ballet
• movies
• Disney movies
• Batman—as in, the Christian Bale Batman
• Christian Bale in general. :) 
• books
• food
• tea
• television, especially DOWNTON ABBEY! :) (Or as I call it, The Mary and Matthew Show) 
• Jane Austen
• Theater—mine and other people’s
• Anything else that is awesome. 
• Writing and grammar. 

Welcome!!!

Outside my window…slightly cooler than the past week. Only 90 for a high today! Whee! Very dry. Wish it would rain soon. 

I am wearing…green khaki (is that a color?) shorts, an amethyst tank top. 

Around the house…tending the flowers out front. Vacuuming, dusting, mopping…the usual. Decluttering—I can see the kitchen table again! Yay! So I did manage to get a lot under control last week, since I had some days off. Whew. 

To live the liturgy…Mass this week (at least twice, I think), Liturgy of the Hours, Bible reading. (Trying to get back in the swing of that. I’m so bad at lectio divina.) Rosary. The usual. 

I’m reading…Wolf Hall, The Bride of Lammermoor, The Sandcastle Girls (I really need to finish this so I can review it before it comes out)

In the CD player…new broadway cast of Evita. Yes, she annoys me. But I just sing over her. 

Listening to…the clank of the blinds since the A/C’s on. 

Praying for…a woman at my church who just had a preemie baby. 

Thinking about…balancing my time. again. I’m always thinking about this…

Thankful for…over here. 

Plans for the week…yoga tomorrow; ballet on Wednesday; 20s group (Bible Study focus) on Thursday; dentist on Saturday and then Transplant Anniversary Dinner at Fado! (Mmm. Love Fado. Also it’s the last place I ate pre-transplant call, so it’s very a propos.) 

Picture: 

My godson with our youngest cousin. 

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OK, so I’ve been sort of lax in my Quick Taking Postings, so I’m going to start over again with No. 1, up there. And be a bit more diligent in my Quick Take posting!

—- 2 —-

So this was a strange week. I had taken M-T off because we thought we may be in Pittsburgh on Monday, and then since Wednesday is the fourth, I had that off. I took Tuesday off because Columbus has its big Fourth celebration the day before, and all the streets close (well, OK, a lot of them close) around noon. So we get a half day. So I had M-W off, and then worked Th-F. Thus, my sense of time is really off. I keep thinking it’s Monday, but it’s FRIDAY! So this is a nice discovery. 

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Since we were in the Burgh until Monday, we missed the HUGE storm that came through and knocked out everyones’ power in Ohio (well almost everyone). So we came back on Sunday to check out our power situation. I had power. My parents did not, for Sunday night. There are a lot of tree branches still down, because we’ve had additional storms this week. Since it’s also been in the high 90s, with it supposed to be 104 tomorrow (yes, you read that right), A/C is like air around here. We need it! 

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You don’t usually think gas=electricity, until there isn’t any electricity. And then there’s no gas. On the way back from Pittsburgh, we stopped to get gas at a station near Newark, not thinking they might not have power. They didn’t. So we drove to another one. It was starting to get sort of urgent, because we had a smidgen of gas left, and the A/C was vital to car happiness and survival (Emily and heat—extreme heat—are not friends. That CF salt excess issue? Yeah, transplant doesn’t fix that. So I need to be massively salted and hydrated. I’ve been drinking a lot of gatorade this week.) We finally found a station, although it only had premium available, and got gas, which really meant A/C. Whew.

—- 5 —-

I am reading a TON of books. I’m actually reading about four at a time because I’m just weird like that. Here’s the lineup: Wolf Hall (yeah, I’m late to this party, but I am really like it, and yes, I also have Bringing Up The Bodies); The Bride of Lammermoor, by Walter Scott; A Farewell To Arms (Hemmingway), and The Sandcastle Girls, of which I won an advance copy on Goodreads (the book wont’ be out until July 17) and that’s taken priority because I’m going to review it. So stay turned!

—- 6 —-

So hot. Did I Mention it’s hot? I’ve been hibernating in summer, if you can call it hibernating. Drinking lots of water and gatorade.

—- 7 —-

Movies: ALSO watching lots of movies! I’ve watched: John Adams; The Artist; The Bridges of Madison County; Charlotte’s Web; The New World, and I’mg oing to start The Tudors again. Because when it’s hot, inside=movies. 

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!</p

Outside my window…it’s hot. And sunny. So I’m staying inside today, except for necessary errands. I spent a lot of time over the Pittsburgh vacation (W-yesterday) outside, and today I’m thinking about hibernating. In the summer.

I am wearing…a BalletMet t-shirt and Gap shorts in a watermelon-ish color.  

Around the house…Oh, a lot. Trash to be taken out, groceries to be bought, vacuuming to be done…I am committed to getting this place under control this week. 

From the kitchen…yeah, not really thinking about cooking. But Lemon pasta is happening. And then my Fourth of July pasta salad from PW that I make every year. It makes great leftovers! And possibly raspberry cream pie. Because it’s THAT hot. 

I am reading…what AREN’T I reading? Wolf Hall, Tumbleweeds, The Bride of Lammermoor, A Farewell to Arms, Wise Blood, Emma…Reading a LOT right now. Dipping in and out. Read The Story of Charlotte’s Web over vacation (it’s in paperback now, whee!) and now I want to dig out my copy and read about Fern and Wilburn and Charlotte again. 

In the CD player…Once soundtrack (Broadway cast). Alternating with the Brave soundtrack, because I love it. 

I am hearing…the blinds clink against each other, which means the A/C is on! :) 

Thankful for…over here. A/C tops the list. 

Plans for the week…Vacation until Thursday, then back to work Th-Friday. Then weekend! Sounds good to me. :) A lot of indoor time. Because it’s hot. 

To live the liturgy…Liturgy of the Hours, rosary, Lectio, Mass. 

Picture: 

Me

(and, really, art in general, and those who make it)

C.S. Lewis said, “We read to know we’re not alone.” I think art, in all its forms, does the same thing, or tries to: to connect humanity, and to remind us of the things that bind us together. 

In my sophomore year of college, I took the first part of the British Literature Survey. It went up to the beginning of the romantic poets, and started with Beowulf and things like The Dream of the Rood. One day in class, a fellow student asked why we were studying things written by old—and dead—white men, and what possible bearing this could have on our lives, as 21st century students. 

The professor smiled slightly and leaned back in his chair. “What do you guys think? Does this have relevance?”

“Sure,” someone said. “”They’re classics.”

“But why are they classics?” Asked the professor. 

“Because they’re good?” Someone else. 

“Why are they good? What about them has stood the test of time?” Silence. “Could it be that they speak to some universal human experience?”

“There are no universal human experiences!” said the first student.

The professor lifted his eyebrows. “Really?”

“That’s not true,” I said. 

“OK.” The professor said. “What’s universal?”

“Birth. Death. Love. Loss. For starters,” I said. “No matter where we live, or how we live, everyone experiences these things. There may be differences in how we do it, but they’re in every human life. The things that endure touch on these things.” 

***

From the beginning, humans have craved connection. “It is not good for man to be alone,” God says in Genesis. Cavemen drew on walls. Ancient civilizations wrote on stone tablets things that we, so many years removed, cannot decipher. Why did they do it? 

The urge to express, to create, is truly a human urge. We pick up pen or paintbrush, or raise our voices in songs or words, to express emotion, to convey our humanity and to connect with others. To capture an ephemeral moment that says, “I was here, and I mattered, and these people mattered, too!” To capture beauty, which is all too fleeting, as Robert Frost noted in his poem, “Nothing Gold Can Stay.” 

As humanity and technology have evolved, so too have our forms of expression. Movies started as “talking pictures” in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. No sound, just expressions and movement. It was the birthing of a new art form. 

The power of film combines visual art, music, and acting into a powerful whole. The best movies touch something deep inside us, that move us to tears or laughter or to cheer—even when we know the screen won’t react to whatever we do. And the very best movies, like the very best books, change as we get older: our relationship to them changes, and they reveal deeper parts of us.

Few will deny that The Wizard of Oz is a classic film. When I was a child, I watched it incessantly on our VHS player. (This being the 80s, VHS was new technology, and the tape itself probably cost more than the machine—the movie ran about $80!) I’ve always loved its signature song, “Over the Rainbow”, so much so that when my aunts got married (my mom was third in a big family, ergo I had a lot of weddings to attend as a child), my grandfather would ask the band to play the song for me. 

But as I got older, I understood the intense longing and melancholy, and even brute sadness, behind Dorothy’s song in the barnyard. It wasn’t just that she was bored, or that Aunt Em was scolding her; it was a deep yearning for a better life. That sort of thing goes over the head of a three year old. 

Movies have become a cultural parlance, a shorthand. You know “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn,” even if you’ve never seen Gone With the Wind. Same with “We’re gonna need a bigger boat” or “play it again, Sam” (which is, actually, wrong. Bogart doesn’t say that.) 

A lot of movies are based on books, or plays, which can lead some to say, just read the original source material! And, yes, as a huge advocate of reading, I’ll support that. But movies are a communal experience, at heart, that reading just isn’t. Even if you’re watching it at home alone, you talk about the experience later, or go to the internet to read what others thought of it. Movies, like plays, lend themselves to group discussion and interaction, much like music and visual art. 

Now, like I said, not all movies are art. That is clearly true. But to disregard an entire art form because some of the pieces are less than stellar is short-sighted. There are many more jewels than fools’ gold in the movie pantheon. 

And what about the people who make the movies? Are they just “playing dress-up?” Are they being children? No! They are bringing these stories to us. Like Homer and the great authors, they are storytellers, albeit in a different medium. To call an actor a child playing dress up is like saying a ballerina just twirls for a living, or that Monet just dabbled in paints. To be a good actor requires an enormous commitment to the character and the world the production is creating. To provide good entertainment, and to make good art, is not easy. It doesn’t matter what sort of art it is: a painting, a sculpture, a novel, a ballet, or symphony, a musical. All of these take tremendous talent, effort, and dedication. 

Not every movie has a deep message. Not every movie is going to be preserved in the Library of Congress. But civilization is built on art of all kinds and all mediums. It’s what makes us truly human. 

So, in the midst of summer blockbuster season, go see a movie or two. Find one that appeals to you, and see what it gives you. Is it a great score? Great special effects? Fabulous costumes? Brilliant scriptwriting and peerless acting? Or maybe just a great, fun story? All of these things are great reasons to see a movie. And when all of these are combined, you have a truly great film. 

I’ve read 101 books this year on my quest to read 150 (think I might have to up my goal?) over on goodreads. Here are my favorite books thus far:

• The Master’s Muse
• Imagine: How Creativity Works
• Shirt of Flame: My Year With St. Therese of Lisieux
• Galileo’s Daughter
• And, the best book I’ve read this year: Song of Achilles. LOVE this book.